Pooh Sticks first came to prominence when it was described in A.A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner and the movie Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. Pooh accidentally drops a pine cone into a river from a bridge and, after observing how it appeared on the other side of the bridge, devises the rules for Pooh Sticks.

The sport was first developed at a bridge located in Ashdown Forest, close to the village of Upper Hartfield, East Sussex, England. Built in 1907 and originally called Posingford Bridge, it is considered to be the bridge on which Milne and Christopher Robin first played the game. (however, it is uncertain whether the sport was first played at the bridge then written into the story, or vice versa) The bridge was subsequently reopened by Christopher Robin Milne and officially renamed as Poohsticks Bridge.

2015 will be the first year the World Pooh Sticks Championships will not be held in Little Wittenham. The immense popularity of the sport has caused the need to find a place that can accommodate all of the adoring Pooh fans.

So this year I am excited to be participating in WPSC which will be held.....

Sunday, June 7th, 2015

Cogges Manor Farm at Langel Common on the River Windrush Witney, Oxfordshire England

Rules for Pooh Sticks

Mike Ridley, owner of 'Pooh Corner' in Hartfield, wrote a very nice booklet about this game, including these rules below. This booklet 'The official Pooh Corner Rules for Playing Poohsticks' was written in 1996 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the publication of 'Winnie-the-Pooh'.

First, you each select a stick and show it to your fellow competitors. You must agree which stick is which – or whose, as it were.

Check which way the stream is flowing. Competitors need to face the stream on the side where it runs in, under the bridge (upstream). Note: If the stream runs out, from under the bridge you are standing on the wrong side! (downstream).

Choose someone to be a Starter. This can be either the oldest or the youngest competitor.

All the competitors stand side by side facing upstream.

Each competitor holds their stick at arms length over the stream. The tall competitors should lower their arms to bring all the sticks to the same height over the stream as the shortest competitor’s stick.

The starter calls, ‘Ready – Steady – Go!” and all the competitors drop their sticks. Note: the stick must not be thrown into the water.

At this point in the game all the players must cross to the downstream side of the bridge. Please take care – young players like to race across. Remember, other people use bridges and some of them have vehicles or horses.

Look over the edge of the bridge for the sticks to emerge. The owner of the first Stick to float from under the bridge, is the winner.